20.500.12556/RUL-167643 Light competition affects how tree growth and survival respond to climate 1. Competition between individuals is a key process that drives tree growth and survival in forests. Ecological theories predict that the effect of competition should be weaker in stressful environments. However, quantitative studies have failed to reach a consensus on the direction of the interaction between climate and competition. In this study, we demonstrate that this interaction appears clearly when we explicitly focus on light competition. 2. We analysed the effect of light competition on tree growth and survival along both temperature and aridity gradients for the 33 major European tree species. We collected forest inventories from nine European countries, encompassing over 1 million trees from Spain to Scandinavia. We used species-specific crown allometric equations to connect this extensive database to the SamsaraLight ray tracing model and to calculate a tree-based light competition index from the light intercepted by the tree crown. 3. Within a given species' climatic niche, the effect of light competition on tree growth and survival decreased towards both the dry and cold margins, supporting the stress gradient hypothesis. Climate mainly affected tree growth in light, with slower growth in drier or colder conditions. In contrast, for survival, climate mainly affected trees in shade, with better survival in the dry or cold stress margins. 4. Among species, the mean sensitivity of tree growth and survival to light competition decreased with increasing mean aridity niche and shade tolerance of the species. 5. Synthesis. Our study emphasises the importance of considering species-specific interactions between light competition and climate on tree growth and survival. The impact of climate change on an individual tree is likely to depend on its light competition status within the forest stand, as well as its species-specific climatic niche and shade tolerance. climatic gradients continental range individual-based model light competition plant–climate interactions plant–plant interactions shade tolerance tree growth and survival klimatski gradienti kontinentalnost drevesni rastni modeli kompeticija za svetlobo interakcije rastlina-podnebje interkacije rastlina-rastlina sencozdržnost rast dreves preživetje dreves mortaliteta true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2025-03-05 09:11:56 2025-03-05 09:30:32 2025-03-06 04:01:04 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 Str. 672-688 iss. 3 Vol. 113 Mar. 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 630*111:630*18:630*5 1365-2745 10.1111/1365-2745.14489 225483267 RAZ_Beauchamp_Natheo_2025.pdf RAZ_Beauchamp_Natheo_2025.pdf 1 74D8AAC3DCC96C30DA31C9D3622580AF 2a7cda9c94e2932f9486b5d584f855e23568fd159c1ff56e5e5efa29222a92b5 d7702979-f99a-11ef-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=200334 RAZ_Beauchamp_Natheo_2025-s1.pdf RAZ_Beauchamp_Natheo_2025-s1.pdf 1 568EB1ACBA0DB94C7E19D7E0E8D4B53E 6cc4abc14c170d977fa908f866ba7bd5f469eb1444e6892ca091c3e98138b85b f5ed89ab-f99a-11ef-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=200335 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2745.14489 1 96b7d737-f998-11ef-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=200332 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0